The Three Times She Almost Walked Away
by V.Evergreen
Summary: And the one time she knew she was there for the long haul.


If she'd had known that he'd make this much noise, she'd have smothered him in his sleep long ago.

Well, maybe that was a little harsh.

Locked him out maybe?

_Crash!_

And thrown away the key.

It wasn't enough that the small text of her work was practically swimming in front of her eyes, or the fact that she was so tired that the table was looking like a viable option as a pillow, it was more to do with the fact that her boyfriend, who she loved dearly (she had to remind herself, in times like these) was making enough noise to raise hell in their kitchenette when it was already nigh impossible to concentrate.

"Sam?" She called trying to curb the irritation in her voice, "Could you keep it down, please? I'm trying to study."

She didn't look around to see but she knew he heard from his reply, "Sorry!" He sounded cheery, and though usually the sound would make her smile (he was far too serious all the time) tonight it made her grind her teeth. It was alright for him; he'd finished his final exam a few days ago whereas she was still trying to revise the entire class in three days. It wasn't that she didn't know it all; she'd done her work all year and if she were honest she might even admit that she was most likely prepared for the test. But that wasn't the point. The point was that she was worried and Sam had chosen that night to try and reawaken the dead.

"I'll be out in a few minutes." He called from behind her.

Again with the cheer. The only thing worse than being miserable was being miserable and surrounded by happier and lighter people.

Another bang almost broke her resolve. Was it too much to ask for just an evenings peace? Resolutely she stared at her textbook willing herself to learn while in reality just waiting for the next loud noise to break her concentration.

When nothing happened she tentatively relaxed her shoulders and began to read. She'd just finished the third line when-

_Crash! _

She couldn't take it. She had to get out of there. She'd go to the library and just enjoy the quiet until it closed. She slammed her books shut, feeling only slightly better by the action and tried to gather them up and into her arms. She'd call to Sam on the way out but she wouldn't stop.

It might have been her slightly bitter mood but she couldn't help but think it was a little...uncalled for... inconsiderate even, of him to choose that night of all the nights to make such a racket.

She was already standing and ready to go when he walked back into the room.

She almost just turned and fled with a hasty goodbye but what he held made her stop mid-turn. Balanced carefully, he held a tray of obviously just cooked food and a steaming mug.

"Come on." He said with a smile. He put the tray in the table and pulled out her chair. He sat on the other side and waited for her to take a seat. When she slowly retook her seat he looked away bashfully.

"I knew you hadn't eaten today," he said looking back, "I thought you might be hungry."

It had comepletely slipped her mind to eat since breakfast and the darkening sky outside their window was showing that the evening was well underway. She looked down at the tray and almost laughed; it wasn't fancy or elaborate by any stretch of the imagination. It was just spaghetti hoops and toast with a steaming mug of coffee of which the smell alone almost made her cry. Some of the spaghetti had slopped over the edge if the plate a little and she was willing to bet that the kitchen wasn't pretty to look at at the moment, which would explain the noise levels. Sam was wonderful at many things but cooking was not among them.

"Thanks." She said trying to keep her voice level. It was stupid to get emotional over a plate of spaghetti of all things but the guesture was incredibly sweet. That and stress made her want to cry and shout at the same time. She looked up and took his hand across the table, "I mean it. I know I haven't been the easiest person to live with the past few days," she tried not to laugh at the diplomatic smile that he gave quickly, "but just...thanks."

He squeezed her hand, "Don't worry about it." He dismissed, "you're under a lot of stress. You're entitled to snap a little...not that you do." He amended quickly after her raised eyebrow.

"Nice save."

"I don't know what you mean."

She laughed at his wounded expression and took a sip of her coffee. It was strong and too hot to really be drinking but it tasted like heaven and it warmed her right down to her bones.

It wasn't a perfect night after she'd finished eating but it was closer than she would have thought when she was stuck behind her mountain of work. It helped when Sam made her sit on the ratty couch they'd bought together and quizzed her. He didn't know the first thing about what he was talking about but it helped her nonetheless.

She looked up at him as he was reading her one of the questions and for a moment her mind slowed. Sometimes it was hard to believe that she really got to keep him. She never thought she'd love someone quite as quickly as she had done Sam but it felt as easy as breathing and twice as natural.

He finished reading and she scrambled for an answer and with so e not so subtle pushing she got there.

No, it wasn't perfect but it would have been even worse if she'd left.


End file.
